This invention relates to freight container lifting means and more part cularly to such means for lifting and transporting I.S.0. freight containers without the need to pre-load the containers onto a dedicated intermediate supporting system prior to loading of the container onto transportation vehicles.
Freight containers are produced in a series of standard sizes, usually 8 feet in width by 20 feet, 30 feet or 40 feet in length and of height between 4 feet and 8.5 feet, and are known as I.S.0. containers.
These containers are provided with corner fittings in the faces of which are formed generally rectangular openings in which can be received releasable securing means, commonly known as twistlocks, whereby the containers can be secured together or secured to a chassis or platform of a transporting vehicle, it being well-established practice to transport a plurality of such containers on a common platform provided with appropriately located securing means for co-operation with the corner fittings of the containers thereon.
There may, however, be a requirement to transport individual freight containers, for example for munitions purposes, and it would clearly be impractical to utilise multi-container transport means for such purposes.
It is, however, well established practice to provide various types of hook-lift, self-loading and unloading vehicles, commonly known as `swap-body` vehicles, that are capable of loading, unloading and transporting various shapes and sizes of skips and like containers.
More particularly, such a vehicle is provided with a hydraulically-operated lifting mechanism that includes a hook adapted to be attached to a suitably positioned lifting bar or recess on the container to be handled, whereby said container can be raised onto or unloaded from the vehicle chassis without the necessity for an intermediate pallet or platform.
Such containers must therefore be provided with the appropriate hook-receiving means thereon before they can be loaded or unloaded by such lifting mechanisms.
Further, and if there are no intermediate pallets involved, the underside of the floors of such containers are provided with longitudinally extending strengthening rails or the like which co-operate with rollers on the rear end of the vehicle chassis during loading and unloading of the containers onto the chassis, the loading forces being exerted through said rails and rollers.
Conventional I.S.0. containers are not provided with attachment means suitable for receiving the hooks of such lifting mechanisms, nor are they provided with such long itudinally-extending rails on the undersurfaces thereof.
Thus the existing hook-lift vehicles are not immediately suited to handling I.S.0. containers other than through intermediate pallets.